When we read the Scriptures, we are deeply impressed with the great faith of those people who moved in God. As we trace the miracles that occurred, we realize that they were not designed to impress anyone with the power of God; rather, their purpose was to manifest His presence through His people in difficult and even impossible circumstances.
When God moves and glorifies Himself, He does it in a situation that seems to be rigged by a collusion between heaven and hell. For example, we know that Job received a wonderful victory and a double portion in his latter years. But didn’t he first have to experience what seemed to be almost a dual action against him? Remember that it was God who first gave Satan the idea to torment Job; although of course the devil was delighted to do it (Job 1:8). It may have been difficult for Job to determine whether God was punishing him, or the devil was destroying him. Everything that happened—the destruction of his family, the obliteration of all of his wealth, and the affliction of his own body—seemed to indicate that it surely must be the devil. Nevertheless, he said, “The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Job knew that nothing could befall him unless it was either a direct or an implied intent by God Himself to ultimately bring him forth. However, even if God did not bring him forth, even if he could not survive Satan’s assault, he would still bow down and worship the Lord.
As you walk through this present age and survey and assess every situation, it is very difficult to reach a right conclusion based upon the conclusions of your reasoning. Whenever you evaluate the circumstances of your life, you will find that you are in the process of some dealing or battle; and adding all the facts together will bring you to a negative conclusion. A right conclusion requires that you have more optimism than reason permits.
I read somewhere that Edison experimented with more than two thousand different filaments before he finally found the right one to create the incandescent light bulb. Since that time many different types of filaments, including fluorescents and neons, have been developed; but initially, someone had to break through. What if Edison had become discouraged after the two-thousandth attempt and said, “It can’t be done”? There must be something that drives you on to believe—a faith that refuses to give up, that holds fast to God. David said, “I had fainted—I had fainted!—unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). “I have set the Lord always before me; I will not be moved” (Psalm 16:8). Unless your focus is upon the Lord and upon His Word continually, day and night, it is easy to become preoccupied with the many circumstances facing you.
We wonder, “Why are we in this present situation? We have experienced one difficulty after another since this endtime move of God began. Will there ever be a period of peace?” Yes, the Lord prophesied that for us. Will it be a peace of believers all over the world accepting the Word? Yes, that is why we are publishing it. God has said that there will be a time when the Word of the Lord and the wisdom of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9). The wisdom that is being revealed in the Living Word is the first evidence of the tidal wave that will sweep over vast areas of people. True—it does not appear that way now; consequently, we are in a position to believe for a miracle.
Satan has a way of bringing something false and then seeing to it that God’s people are persecuted for what he has done. Because of the notoriety of some cult activities, we find that we are often regarded with suspicion and hostility by outsiders; the reproach of the cults falls on us too. This end-time moving of God never was a part of the Latter-Rain movement, but when everyone involved in the Latter-Rain movement forsook it, then its reproaches and excesses were laid on our shoulders. When God brings forth His true Isaac on the earth, we find that the false half-God and half-fleshly Ishmael effort has already brought a reproach.
If you look behind the great healing ministries and television personalities of recent years, you find a record of exposes that include self-destruction, investigations by the government, misappropriation of funds, and fantastic financial exploitations of the people. Were those ministries of God? They probably started out in God, but then they became commercial, like the rest of Babylon.
As we strive to fulfill what God sets before us, let us minister as the apostle Paul did, without expecting any commercial reward. Paul had an amazing way of ministering a true Word from God, but he refused to take any money from the Corinthian church, though he did accept support from other churches (II Corinthians 11:8–9). The false apostles had already abused the Corinthians, by exploiting them and stripping them of their finances. Paul wanted the Corinthians to see the difference between the true apostles and the false; therefore he refused to accept any money from them.
Back in the early days of the Pentecostal movement, I heard that one of their pastors walked through a large Midwestern hospital and emptied it. After healing everyone in the hospital, he walked away—no one even knew who he was. Soon there may be such a reproach on the healing ministry that much of it will have to be done anonymously. In order for God to be glorified, it will have to be done in a way that the human vessel is not mentioned or even known. Those who are healed will never know whose hands did it; they will never know how it came to pass.
At this point in the restoration we have a glorious heritage. Yet so much of Babylon, so much commercial exploitation, has infiltered everything that God originally brought forth. Many of the miracles that we read about in the Scriptures are being exploited today. We read in Acts 19:12 that handkerchiefs and aprons went out from the body of Paul to heal the sick and cast out demons. Today, anyone can receive a prayer cloth from various religious radio and television programs, provided he sends in an offering.
Faith that believes for a miracle cannot coexist in a compound along with ambition and self-seeking. We cannot say, “Let us mix up a compound here—a little ambition, a little bit of self-seeking, a little need, and finally we will add a little faith; and then we will have a miracle.” It does not happen that way. Instead, faith must coexist with humility. We must find a way, above all else, to live humbly, in simplicity, in sacrifice, and to minister so that God receives all the glory. If we err in any direction, it should be that we are overly insistent about refusing to receive the glory.
We are believing for miracles, but there must also be a determination in our hearts that they will glorify the Lord. We find this focus in the miracle recorded in John 11, where the Lord raised Lazarus from the dead. We will read only the first seventeen verses, the introduction to the miracle, which focus on the mass confusion that existed prior to the actual miracle. These verses should cause you to rise up in faith, thinking, “That is what I am experiencing. Even though there does not appear to be any answer for me, there must be an answer! God will show me that answer and it will come, not because I understand it, but because I believe God.” Faith is reasonable; but very rarely does reason produce faith. That is a good principle to remember.
After the Lord resolves a situation you realize, “Yes, now that makes sense.” However, until He does resolve it, it usually does not make much sense. Can you think of a circumstance in your own life to which this principle applies? Many times when you see problems in the church, you may wonder what God is doing. But if you go back to the Word that God spoke over the church, then what is happening makes sense. Only the Word gives a reasonable explanation for our circumstances.
Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha. John 11:1. Today, if you were to visit Bethany where Lazarus was buried, you would probably sense no spiritual overtones remaining there. The same is true of Azusa Street and other well-known places where God once moved so sovereignly. It is amazing! When the serpent of brass was made in the wilderness, the people who had been bitten by serpents were healed by the thousands, but then they began to worship that brazen serpent (Numbers 21:8–9). They made an idol of it, named it “Nehushtan,” and burned incense to it. Seven hundred years later, during Hezekiah’s reign, it was broken up (II Kings 18:4). Do you understand why it had to be destroyed? When people forget that the one element which God uses to create a miracle is dedicated, wonderful, simple faith, then a commercial system results, a program that they can work.
Back in the Twenties there were great waves of the moving of the Holy Spirit across the country. Meetings were held in little store buildings or simple makeshift rooms with sawdust floors. The miracles and healings of God were done so simply. When the meetings were over, the evangelists went on to the next place. It was at that time that the Lord saved my life by healing me of a serious mastoid infection. This miracle also was instrumental in leading my father into the ministry. Miracles were done very simply. People prayed for the sick and healed them. There were uncomplicated teachings on divine healing—much simpler than the expanded, deep teaching that we have come to appreciate in more recent years. I often watched God heal by a simple prayer of faith. No credit was taken; there was no exaltation of man.
That flow of healing was similar to the account in John 9, where Jesus healed the blind man. That blind man did not know that the One who had healed him was the Son of Man until Jesus came back and revealed Himself to him. On several occasions when Christ healed a person, He said, “Go, and tell no one” (Mark 7:36; Luke 5:14). He did not seek publicity. He did nothing for personal glory; everything was done for the glory of God. If we understand this, then in every difficulty that we encounter, we will move in faith saying, “O God, let the miracle come to glorify You.”
And it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. The sisters therefore sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” John 11:2–3. This indicates, and historical references confirm, that there must have been a special, deep affection among Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Jesus.
But when Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” Verse 4. This is the bottom line of this message. Apply it to your own life. Are you sick? Are you harassed? Are you oppressed? Are you going through a problem? Don’t you realize that “this is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it”?
When Jesus said that Lazarus’ sickness was not unto death, those around Him were faced with a problem—Lazarus did die! The scene became one of confusion from this verse on. Jesus’ words could have been interpreted several ways. “He will not die”: that was likely the first interpretation. You may think similarly about a man of God, “God will bring him through his afflictions.” That may be true, but he may die first; you may not see him for twenty-five years. Who knows what God plans? Lazarus came forth according to Jesus’ Word within only a few days; but you have no idea of God’s plans for fulfilling His Word over your own life. There are some who had prophecies over them, then after going through the dealings of the Lord, they left the church and were gone for many years. Later they returned and became leading ministries.
Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When therefore He heard that he was sick (He rushed to his bedside? not at all!), He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was. John 11:5–6. Can you see that the tactics of the Lord have not changed much? No doubt everyone else thought that He should have rushed to Lazarus’ side. However, that would not have been “for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” But should there not have been some concern for Mary and Martha and Lazarus? Remember—this event was not intended for their glory; it was for the Lord’s glory. The consideration was not Lazarus’ welfare; it was how God might be glorified in Lazarus. The issue was not Mary’s and Martha’s suffering; it was how God might be glorified in Mary’s and Martha’s suffering.
Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” More confusion was created as the disciples started to reason things out again. The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You; and are You going there again?” Verses 7–8. They were viewing the circumstance with human reasoning, saying, in effect, “We have already waited almost too long to help Lazarus. Why go back now? If You go back, the Jews will be waiting to stone You.”
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” Verses 9–10. The disciples must have wondered what He was talking about. Isn’t it wonderful how Jesus interjects a thought, right into the middle of a conversation, which seems completely irrelevant and immaterial! Any good lawyer would probably protest at half the words Jesus spoke. He was referring to another principle: There is a time when things need to be flushed out, exposed, and brought into the light. Jesus was saying, in effect, “We will not run from this situation; we will meet it. We cannot back off; we will go ahead.”
This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.” (It is likely that he was asleep even before then, for Jesus had said, “This is not unto death.”) “But I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep.” The disciples therefore said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Verses 11–12. The disciples totally misunderstood everything Jesus told them. First they thought that the Jews in Judea might “rock Jesus to sleep”; then they misinterpreted Lazarus’ sleep.
Now Jesus had spoken of his death; but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” Verses 13–15. Why was He glad? The Lord has a way of exposing His people only to what they are ready to receive. If Jesus and the disciples had been there and watched Lazarus die, the disciples’ faith would have been shaken. Or if they had raced to Bethany only to find that Lazarus was already dead and buried, it would have been a severe test for them. Instead, Jesus waited a while before going to Bethany. Now they knew it was all over; it was hopeless. It would not shake their faith now. That is difficult to understand; nonetheless this is the way it usually works.
Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” Verse 16. The disciples did not have much faith, did they? But they were loyal! They were even ready to go and die with Jesus. It must have been a rather sad procession, going over the hill and down into Bethany. So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Verse 17.
You are familiar with the rest of the story; you know what happened. What can we learn from this introduction to the miracle? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Miracles are not necessarily reasonable. At least, we cannot reason or think our way into a miracle. Of all the men in the Bible who experienced a miracle of God—including Lazarus—not one of them actually worked himself into a position so that a miracle would happen. As they walked with God, they came into a place where a miracle was necessary.
A miracle is not an optional blessing that God gives now and then. A miracle comes when an individual walks with God, and God is obligated, for His greater glory, to do something in order that this ministry can continue to glorify Him. Why did Jesus want to raise Lazarus from the dead? The Scriptures say that later the Jews plotted to kill Lazarus too (John 12:10), because he became a living testimony—quiet and unassuming, nevertheless a real Word from the Lord—that the Messiah had come.
There was no question about it; the miracle of Lazarus did bring all the glory to God. True—Mary and Martha had to suffer a little longer because Jesus did not rush to their side out of sympathy. He was more concerned about God being glorified through their lives. Similarly, we cannot follow our natural inclination and rush to the side of someone who has a problem, saying, “Let me help you. I feel so sorry for you in what you’re going through. Let me do something for you. Let me help you.” Sometimes the Lord delays their release. It is true that often things will have to get much worse before they will get better, or at least before they can be the climate for the miracle that God wants. A deliverance for deliverance sake is not enough; we want a deliverance for the glory of God. We want the faith to bring forth praise and glory to God in the earth.
Read this verse once more, and apply it to your own heart: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” Is this your feeling concerning your own life? Do you agree that regardless of what you are going through, deliverance just for deliverance sake is not enough? If you are sick, do you agree that it is not enough merely to desire healing? You want to be healed for the glory of God, don’t you? Whatever comes, don’t you want God to be glorified and honored in it? If you determine that, then He will have all the glory.
If I die, I want to die with Him getting the glory for it, don’t you? I am not afraid to die. I am ready for it. But I refuse to die simply because the devil wants me to. I am willing to see anything happen provided the Lord will receive the glory for it.
You would be surprised to know how often Satan throws many good reasons in your mind to create confusion or cause you to doubt, whenever a miracle or a moving of God is imminent. All of us are continually challenged with this satanic maneuver. Is this your thinking: “I am where I am because I have walked with God. I may have made many mistakes, and I may make many more mistakes, but I have been trying to serve Him. I have been stumbling along, and now I find that I have a need of real deliverance.” Do not be confused. You may be positioned exactly in the place where the Lord can receive much praise in the earth, much glory to His own name.
Consider the men whom God delivered. Did they seek any glory for it? Peter did not take any credit for the fact that he had been released from prison. If he had been seeking recognition and glory, he would have invited his friends to a city-wide meeting in Jerusalem so that he could tell about his marvelous deliverance. Instead, he quietly excused himself and disappeared from there to go on and minister to some brethren in a secret place. Certainly the people who had been praying for him day and night could not receive much credit for it, because when he was released, they did not even believe it; they thought it was his ghost that was standing outside the door. It was the Lord who was glorified in Peter’s deliverance (Acts 12). Consider Philip and the great revival in Samaria when many were saved and healed. Philip, in the wake of performing many great signs and miracles, arose and went to Gaza to minister (Acts 8:26).
These men never had any idea in their minds of capitalizing on anything that God spoke through them, anything that God did through them, any miracle that was wrought by their hands, any healing that was wrought for the sick, or any deliverance that came through them or through their prayers. They refused to take the glory. They simply walked away humbly and let the Lord be glorified.
Let this same mind be in us also, because in the days before us, many miracles will take place and it would be easy for us to say proudly, “Do you know how this happened? I prayed. I spoke a Word.” Let us be sure that we always walk humbly and give God the glory.
It is very disturbing if a water pipe in a home rattles every time the water is turned on. That pipe should be totally silent. As God’s channels, we too want to be totally silent and inconspicuous as we provide a flow of the water of life for thirsty hearts.